I believe, like the Kansas DOW did, that putting the animal down was the only option. First according to the linked article, no one wanted the deer outta fear it may have been infected with CWD. A deer farm/zoo is not going to take the risk of saving one animal by putting the entire herd at risk. If one animal in the herd comes down with CWD, that entire herd is put down. There s no cure and there is no test to determine of an animal has the disease unless that animal is killed and tissue samples of the brain and lymph nodes are taken. This is why most states now do not permit interstate deer commerce and deer farms/shooting preserves will only buy deer from stock proven to be CWD free. The animal clearly could not be returned to the wild and the law states that private individuals cannot have wild animals as pets. Again, the family doomed the deer to death. They made a wild animal a pet and then bragged to the world about it. They made the deer dependent upon humans by intervening when it was a fawn and not allowing it to learn to survive by itself. They may as well have pulled the trigger themselves, but forced the Kansas DOW to do it and then damned them for doing it. Was the way the animal put down a way to discourage others from doing this again? I hope so, since far too many folks can't take a subtle hint.
Buck,
You cannot be serious. You hope the DOW shot the deer 5 times with a handgun, in front of the family, to teach the family and others a lesson about making deer pets? Do you need more coffee and take a minute to think that one through?